The present invention relates to an apparatus that can be added to a conventional labeling machine to emboss printed labels as the labels are fed in a continuous web to the cutting device of the labeling machine.
The appearance of a packaged good can be enhanced by embossing a design on the printed label of the package. Such an embossed design may, for example, be chosen to correspond with a printed design on the label to emphasize and improve the attractiveness of the printed design.
In a typical printing, labeling and packaging system, such as a system of the type used to package cigarettes in soft cigarette packs, labels are printed on a continuous web of label material. After printing, the web of label material is wound onto a bobbin for transfer to a labeling machine which cuts the web into individual labels and applies the labels to packages that pass through the machine. If an embossed design is desired and the labels are embossed contemporaneously with the printing operation, the embossed design may be flattened and thus damaged by the subsequent winding of the web onto the bobbin for the labeling machine.
In other systems, the labels are cut immediately after being printed and are fed through the labeling machine individually. An embossed design can in this case be applied during the printing process without being subject to the damage caused by subsequent winding of the web onto a bobbin for the labeling machine. This system however, is not as fast and efficient as using bobbin-fed labeling machines.
With both of these systems, where the embossed design is intended to correspond to a printed design on each label, such as in the case of a raised emblem, the embossing head must be accurately synchronized with the moving web. Even a slight mismatch between the embossed design and the printed design will result in an unattractive appearance.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide an embossing apparatus that operates in conjunction with a bobbin-fed labeling machine to emboss a web of labels as the web is fed through the labeling machine but that will not damage the embossed design by subsequent handling of the web.
It would also be desirable to provide an embossing apparatus that can operate at high speed.
It would still further be desirable to provide an embossing apparatus that embosses each printed label on a moving web of labels at a particular point on the label within narrow tolerances.